Arrows of Time - Kim Falconer [145]
He’d zero in on the immediate charge of finding Rosette and then Kali would turn to him with a word or a gaze that touched him in such a way that he nearly forgot his own name. What spell was she weaving? An enchantment? He hardly needed one. He rubbed his temples harder, shaking his head.
They’d arrived in the most austere world. Its colours were insipid, the prevailing scent metallic, the sounds harsh, mechanical. Kali and Jarrod had argued whether this was the right place until Rosette’s familiar came bounding up to them, leaping over the top of Scylla and knocking Jarrod to the ground. His purr vibrated through the crevice and everyone let out a burst of laughter—relief, joy, recognition. But why was the temple cat on this side of the corridor? Where was Grayson? More importantly, where was Rosette?
‘Teg.’ Kali called his attention to her. ‘You’ll stay here and keep watch.’
He dipped his head, hiding his frown. That wasn’t right.
She led Jarrod and An’ Lawrence out of the mouth of the portal into the cool grey world that smelled like a bucket of paint thinner. Selene and Shane were talking behind him, their voices raised.
‘Who is she again?’ Selene asked.
‘Kreshkali? She’s the queen of the underworld.’ Teg caught their confused looks. ‘She’s the High Priestess of Temple Los Loma, for one. Rosette’s mother as well.’
Shane shook his head. ‘She told me Nell’s her mother as well.’
‘Pardon?’
‘The witch Nell. Nellion Paree. She’s got glamours like I’ve never seen before. She’s the one who murdered Corvey right in front of my eyes. She shifted into a bird—like Kreshkali. Do all your witches have such skill? It’s a wonder you can tell them apart. They look one and the same to me.’ Shane laughed at his own summation.
Teg stared at him, his spine stiffening. ‘One and the same?’
‘I didn’t mean any disrespect,’ Shane said, taking a step back.
Teg ignored the gesture. ‘You encountered Nell at different times? On Gaela?’
‘Aye,’ Shane said. ‘But Rosette didn’t know her, at least, not at first. She was confused. Something about it being another Gaela. We found Nell as a child, then in Dumarka as High Priestess, and now she’s been in these corridors a while…What’s wrong?’
Teg felt his heart pounding in his chest. He could hardly breathe. He looked out into the grey world and watched the retreating figures of Kali and the two men, suddenly aware of what wasn’t right. She wasn’t right! She wasn’t Kreshkali, not his mentor anyway.
His mind screamed at him to bolt, but which way? Out into the world to confront the woman in the glamour before she did some irretrievably harmful act, or back the way he’d come to find Kreshkali, if she could ever again be found. He looked at the temple cats grooming themselves near the entrance. They seemed unconcerned. Could she fool them too? How was that possible?
‘You’ve gone white, Teg,’ Selene said, leading him back to the wall. ‘Sit down before you faint.’
He jerked away from her grip. ‘Let go!’
‘Take it easy,’ she said. ‘I’m just trying to help.’
Shane moved forward, blocking the depths of the corridor. ‘What’s the matter with you?’
‘Get out of my way,’ Teg said. He made to push past. He didn’t know if Kreshkali was still alive, but he was keenly aware she was not the woman leading Jarrod and An’ Lawrence into the city below. How could those men, who knew her so intimately, not realise it? How could he, who did not, be so certain? ‘That witch isn’t who we think she is!’ Teg blurted out.
‘What do you mean?’
‘She’s an impostor, with some purpose of her own.’
‘You’re paranoid,’ Shane said.